Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-12-22
M. c. T. u. NOTES.
SAVE THE YOUTH.
By the Rec. Z. F. Bickford.


1880 The supreme deman
S&AN and work of the presen
AWlNEE1 day is to save the youth
ANZ#NHAWhy let them grow up il
4N dissipation, to ruin them
selves and cast a bligl
over the lives of parents and friends
and become disgrace to the commun
ity? Why suffer them to- become con
firmed in evil habits, bound by th,
strong chain of appetite, and then. W I'll
agony and tears, aud prayers, try t,
rescue them, while the open saloon
unchecked, is continuing it's deadl,
and ruinous work, and spreading its
fiery ievhstations all over the land?
The young must be taught reverence
and respect for morals and religion
They must learn that these are their
true safeguards, and that it is a noble
thing to stand OH the side of morality
and religion against all forms of vice
and evil. We must teach them the
same with reference to the home; that
home is sacred citadel, ever to be
guarded from the foul touch of thai
ruthless destroyer, the liquor traffic.
If man cannot protect his home, his
name, his character. lis children, from
defilement, temptation and vice, then
public sentiment is at low ebb, and
law and government are meaningless
things.
Public sentiment depends upon the
Kind of teachers it has. Government
depends upon the kind of hands it falls
into. If We would have these bee ,me
what they should be, we must see to it
that the youth maintain high respect
for virtue, morality. religion and law.
Ii we would save the youth, we must
not only rescue and protect them, but
we must root out the cause of their
: ruin. And the majesty of law and the
power of government must he invoked
to do this. Law must be respected nd
obeyed. A ration of lawbreakers
would be the greatest way-mark of sin
and folly ever set upon the pathway of
nations. as they march on to their des-
tiny.
To demand of Government to take
cognizance of the moral welfare of the
community is the right of the people,
andwhen they speak demanding certain
enactments it should mean something.
When they express their Wish for the
enactment of certain laws to protect
that Which is dearest to them their
homes, their sons. and the holy Sab
batb-these laws must be made to mean
everything they say. And the liquor
power. mighty as it is in money and
must not be permitted to
stay the execution nor continue VOL
ator of the law. The fact is, even ua-
der the present imperfect laws against
hquor-selling, more than half the Ii
quor-traff1c is in violation OF law. 1t is
the great law-breaker of the land, the
outlaw of outlaws. Let the people |
make it complete outlaw, and make |
1t feel that it is amenable To law, and |
1t will have to bow to the will of the |
people.
The only remedy by which to save |
the youth, to save the home, to save
the Nation, is complete and uncom-
promising constitutional prohibition of
the liquor-traffic. AS Christians We
recognize that our religion teaches US
to be true to the highest interests of
our fellow-men both In their private
and National capacity. There is before
us to be wrought out the greatest
triumph of our Christian civilization,
and we must keep it Christian civ
ilization. I mean the triumph of the
people over the misunderstanding. home
destroying. youth-ruining, thanksgiving
and this Christian nine
teenth century light shall not close
Until it be done.